Asean members have been told to reject democracy from the West as it contradicts the systems, values and constitutions of their home countries.

Asean Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) president Pandikar Amin Mulia told a press conference today the importance of maintaning the democracy of each Asean member country should be based on its own federal constitution, religion, social culture and value system.

"Please, I urge you to defend your own democracy, in line with your constitution.

"Do not be influenced by the negative rhetoric of outsiders," Pandikar, who is also the speaker of the Parliament of Malaysia, said.

He urged Asean countries to put effort into awareness campaigns so that their citizens, especially the youth, would know the importance of defending their own democracy.

Pandikar, who often claims that he advocates parliamentary reform, was asked during the press conference what he wanted to share with Asean parliaments or learn from the assembly.

The experience at world speakers' conference

He then spoke about his experience at the 4th World Conference of Speakers he attended in New York in July.

The conference defended the basic human rights of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders (LGBT), he said.

Those countries which did not adopt the this human right were said to be practising a "flawed democratic system”.

"In Malaysia, our Federal Constitution stipulates Islam as our official religion and in our Penal Code, sodomy is a crime," Pandikar said.

Malaysia would therefore not accept a democratic system such as that practised by the Western countries.

The nation would risk being destroyed if the people were easily swayed by the negative values of the West, he added.

"If our country were destroyed, how are we to pick up the role in world peace (missions to help) the countries that are unfairly treated by the Western democracies?" Pandikar asked.